D’Yquem 1959

I had only previously tasted the 1959 vintage of Château d’Yquem on one occasion, all the way back in 2007. It is an utterly brilliant vintage for this iconic estate and if anything, the seventeen years that have passed since I last drank the wine have only enhanced its beauty. The bouquet is deep, complex and stunningly vibrant, soaring from the glass in a blaze of cherries, apricot, heather, honey, a touch of toasted coconut, crème brûlée, a beautiful base of soil tones and a topnote of candied orange peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full, complex and bottomless at the core, but with a lightness of step that is not always found in old vintages of Yquem. The wine has perfect balance and focus and there is a superb girdle of zesty acidity here that provides both precision and backend lift, which is not found in similarly-revered vintages from this era, such as the 1967 Yquem. I scored this wine 97 points back in 2007 and I clearly underrated it! Along with the 1945, this is the single finest vintage of mature Yquem I have ever had the pleasure to drink.

Drink: now – 2055